This invention generally relates to a device for reproducing and recording an original picture by electromechanical and optical scanning.
There are conventional picture scanning and recording devices such as electronic color separation machines for plate making and color facsimile equipment, in which original pictures are scanned under fixed conditions set for plural characteristics during one scanning operation.
Referring to FIG. 1, for example, there is shown in perspective, a plurality of original pictures mounted on a cylinder 1. A plurality of original pictures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are mounted as a group on cylinder 1 as shown in FIG. 1 and all may be reproduced and recorded under the same conditions. However, the separate pictures cannot be recorded with separate instructions according to such individual pictures. In the hitherto known devices, therefore, it has been necessary, in the grouping of a plurality of originals, to select and combine those which are most similar to each other in color tone, density, etc. so as to be scanned under the same or similar conditions. Such originals are similar in color characteristics and may be corrected if there is a large number of pictures available for selection. However, such grouping is difficult if there are a few original pictures available or if the pictures which are available have greatly differing characteristics. In such cases, the scanning of a picture from point to point is necessarily performed in a very inefficient manner.